Inspector in Philly collapse commits suicide

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An official says an inspector who surveyed a Philadelphia building before it collapsed last week, killing six people, has committed suicide.

Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison says the inspector was found fatally shot in a pickup truck Wednesday night. The man was a Department of Licenses and Inspections employee who had inspected the building May 14.

Officials were informing department staff Thursday morning and the man's name wasn't immediately being released.

City officials are planning a 9:30 a.m. news conference.

The building was being demolished when it collapsed onto a neighboring Salvation Army Thrift Store on June 5, killing two employees and four customers. Police allege a heavy equipment operator was high on marijuana when it happened.

The city's top prosecutor is convening a grand jury to look into the collapse.